Weiser Area Floods

KWEI Radio – 2017

The employees used a boat to go to work – seriously.

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Weather just can’t leave Weiser be — flooding swamps homes, damages businesses

The severe flooding that plagued much of Southern Idaho Thursday spread west on Friday, with Washington and Payette counties suffering yet another round of weather-related damage.

The Weiser River reached some of its highest levels in years early Friday morning, rising to an apparent 12 feet at 2:30 a.m. The cause: An ice jam that broke loose at roughly about midnight and swept down the river’s southern bank, swamping the area of Couper Lane and Cove Road less than a mile southeast of the city of Weiser. The U.S. Geological Survey says the river level reading is tentative and may have been affected by ice. A team plans to take measurements along the Weiser and Payette rivers Saturday to confirm readings in those areas. At least six to 10 homes appeared cut off and/or inundated with water Friday morning. In addition, the bridge carrying U.S. 95 over the river just south of Weiser was closed to both traffic and pedestrians pending a structural inspection. 

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown toured the area by helicopter for 40 minutes Friday afternoon. “We saw a lot of devastation,” Otter said after the tour, speaking to reporters in Payette. “It impacted their lives and their livelihoods,” said Brown. The region’s onion crops took a major hit in the snow and cold weather. More than 250 million pounds of onions — including 100 million in Idaho — must be destroyed by April 15 to prevent infestation by onion maggots. For context, onion maggots severely damaged the onion business in the 1960s. Otter said he’s hoping for moderately warm days and cool nights to avoid a quick thaw in the area. “The worst thing we could have is 75 degree days at the end of February,” he said.

Jack and Karyn Kyle live about a quarter-mile away from the flooded area. They moved there in 1996 and have witnessed flooding four or five times since. The water has been higher, noted Jack Kyle. But “this was the first time we had ice and snow.” The river’s overnight peak, if accurate, was about 2 1/2 feet above flood stage (which is 9 1/2 feet), as measured at a gauge just east of town. That’s not on the level of, say, 1997 — a horrific year for floods across Southern Idaho, when the Weiser River gauge hit 17 feet. But it was enough to qualify as “moderate” flooding under the definitions used by the U.S. Geological Survey. 

Four flooded homes just east of Weiser were believed to have occupants in two of them. Washington County sheriff’s deputies stood across the flooded area midday Friday and called out to the possible occupant of one of the buildings with a bullhorn bullhorn. One man in one of the homes told the deputies he did not want to be evacuated. At the other, deputies couldn’t get a response — but it wasn’t clear if the man believed to be inside was in trouble, or just didn’t want to acknowledge them. Later Friday, an Idaho National Guard Blackhawk helicopter was dispatched to assess damage and to fly over the house of the man who didn’t respond to authorities, said Steve Penner, Washington County’s disaster services spokesman. Working with three members of the Boise Fire Department Water Rescue Unit, the Idaho Army National Guard rescued a 68-year-old man who had been in his flooded home. Maj. Chris Borders, guard spokesman, could not confirm it was the same man deputies had tried to contact earlier in the day. The man was brought to the Weiser hospital. The National Guard may decide to keep the helicopter in the area Friday afternoon in case other assistance is needed, but officials don’t expect it to remain there overnight. The house closest to the floodwaters’ edge may have at least 4 feet of water, officials said. Cars were halfway submerged, as was a livestock trailer. A goat found refuge on the front porch.

From Idaho Statesman – February 7, 2017